Lysistrata Literally Out of Sight

THEATER

Lysistrata

directed by Art Shettle

at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

March 17, 18

Harvard's newest force in the realm of drama, the Adams House Pool Theater Company, staged an ambitious effort to bring its dramatic vision to life in the hallowed halls of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum this past weekend. Unfortunately, the effort was not wholly sucessful. Having meandered thourgh the beautiful rooms of the Gardner Museum en route to the theater, sold-out audiences found themselves disillusioned at having to cram into an inconvenient space and strain their necks to catch a glimpse of the distant stage. Those who could see witnessed a still rough rendition of Aristophanes' most popular play, Lysistrata.

The curator of the Gardner museum, Marianne McDermott, herself an Adams House affiliate, conceived of the production as a unique opportunity to combine the resources of both institutions. McDermott and Art Shettle, a resident tutor in the dramatic arts at Harvard and director of the Pool Theater Company, wanted to extend the classical theme of the Gardner's current program, "Passionate Acts in Greek Myths and Art," which features an exhibit of classical artifacts on loan from other museums, as well as seminars and lectures.

According to Shettle, the selected Lysistrata because they felt its "feminist" angle would be most "appropriate" to commemorate Mrs.

Gardner's own perspective on sexual politics.

Particularly confusingly, this production of Lysistrata projects a dual perspective--it remains unclear whether it endeavors to recreate Aristophanes' bawdy farce, or tries actually to parody the original intent of the classic.

This disconcerting tension about its conceptual intent is reinforced, for example, at the conclusion of the play, when the "statue of recondiliation," traditionally a statue of a beautiful woman, appears as a grotesque caricature of a pregnant woman. Also, the translation's inclusions of such modern-day refrences as Hamlet's "something's rotten in the state of Athens?" heightens the sense that the production features a significant internal critique.

Despite these modern changes, the philosophical import of this production seems hardly different from that of the original. Aristophanes' Lysistrata, while revolutionary when it was first performed in 411 BCE, runs counter to today's definition of feminism. And neither the acting nor the guiding philosophy behind this production manages to bring it up to date. The female characters of the play, daringly swearing off sex to force their warring husbands to declare a truce, nevertheless fail to present a strong revolutionary image.

Instead they remain pathetically dependent and weak throughout their supposedly defiant abstinence. Growing uniformly hysterical over their need for a "penis," the actresses perpetuate an ancient stereotype rather than injecting any kind of philosophical tanscendence into the play.

Thus appearing simultaneously to celebrate and parody Aristophanes' world, this production is unclear in its message. This confusion of purpose confines the production to a bawdy exultation of rut, making it lack dramatic, or even comedic tension. Two demensional characterization and widespread overacting renders the interpersonal relationships and the various plot-twists uninteresting.

Many of the actors seem fundamentally removed from their characters and present a muddled interpretation of Aristophanes' play--neither conveying nor critiquing its true spirit. The chorus' efforts to aestheticize the obscenity through dance, ominous vioces and hand-held masks, and thereby to introduce a deeper level to the sexual conflict, are awkwardly staged and difficult to see.

Rising notably above the production in terms of subtlety and humor is Winsome Brown as Lysistrata. The role of Lysistrata is particularly difficult since she is at the center of intrigue, and appears in almost every scene. Maintainig a devilish smirk and unflagging energy throughout the play, Brown sustains rapport with the audience. She effectively coordinates the sub-plots of the characters on stage, as well as creating a complex, witty personality for herself.

Aside from certain small scenes, the production suffers from a distinct lack of coherence. The characters fail to communicate meaningfully or convincingly with one another. Whatever her sexual politics, Isablella Stewart Gardner probably would have wanted a clear interpretation of Aristophanes' classic.